Guardian of Tamriel
by Durai
Summary: Tagryn is freed from prison and his new life begins. But he may soon have to give it all up for a rising threat that is about to wreak havoc over all of Tamriel... Rated T for some blood and minor swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**The Elder Scrolls – Guardian of Tamriel**

Chapter 1 – Beginning of a new Life

Ten years. Ten bloody years it had been since Tagryn had last seen daylight. But now, he was in captivity. Locked in a cell for ten agonizing years, without any shred of knowledge of the outside world.

He closed his eyes and looked back at his crimes. Petty thievery to massive heists, one murder to numerous assassinations. He put his head in his hands and shook his head slowly. He promised himself never to do this again. He was done with the Thieves' Guild and the Dark Brotherhood.

It was the year 612, the 1st Morndas of Frostfall. Everyone knew the stories of the Nerevarine, the hero who defeated Dagoth Ur. The Hero of Cyrodiil, who prevented Mehrunes Dagon from entering Tamriel during the Oblivion Crisis. And, of course, the Dragonborn, the one who defeated Alduin and saved all of Tamriel and the souls of its inhabitants in the process. The Dragonborn was still alive to this day.

But Tagryn… He was another matter entirely. He was a natural talent at stealing and killing, whether it be stealthy or direct. He was a talented warrior and a practiced thief. But he got caught at the age of twelve and this was his tenth year in prison.

Tagryn looked up from a sudden sound. Steel boots stomping on a stone floor… Were they going to execute someone? He shrugged and put his head back in his hands. But then, he heard his door opening.

'Your name Tagryn?' the guard asked. Tagryn looked up, surprised. Were they setting him free? 'Yeah, that's me… What is it?' The guard looked extremely nervous. Tagryn wanted to grin, but he kept a straight face. The guard had all the rights to be nervous. Everyone would be when they were around him.

However, Tagryn's suspicions as to why the guard was nervous, were proven wrong. 'The Keep is under attack, we're evacuating everyone. Including the prisoners.' Tagryn narrowed his eyes. 'If you cut me loose, I could help you, you know…'

The guard shook his head. 'Oh no, I'll do nothing of the sort. I know you well enough to know that you'll just kill me and run off.' But Tagryn got angry. 'Listen, if the Keep is really under siege, then you need all the help you can get, right? Consider this an apology for my crimes!'

The guard wavered, but then he nodded and cut Tagryn loose. 'You better not be fooling me, or you will be sorry,' he said. Then he handed Tagryn a sharp-looking steel dagger. 'I'll want that back when we're out!' the guard said. Tagryn nodded. 'Lead on,' he replied.

As soon as they started running, Tagryn heard an explosion behind them. The flaming corpse of a city guard came flying through the prison's hallway and turned to ashes when it hit the wall. 'What in blazes is going on here?' Tagryn asked.

The guard hushed him. 'If those damn mages find out we're here, we're both dead, so shut your gob already and follow!' Tagryn shrugged and followed the guard further down the hallway, until they reached a panel in the ground.

The guard opened up the panel, revealing a ladder going down into a tunnel. 'Come on, you first!' Tagryn nodded, but instead of getting on the ladder, he jumped straight down. As soon as he could feel his feet hitting ground, he rolled and landed safely.

He looked up and saw the guard climbing down into the tunnel, locking the panel in the process. As soon as the guard touched the ground with his feet, a massive explosion could be heard from above. The guard's eyes grew big. 'That explosion… It sounded big enough to be able to blow up the entire Keep!'

Tagryn grabbed the guard's arm. 'Hey! Weren't we going to get ourselves out of here, already?' The guard breathed in and out a couple times, then he nodded. 'Yeah, sorry. This way!' he said.

Whilst traversing through the tunnels, Tagryn could hear vague sounds ahead. He signaled the guard to stop. 'Wait here, whatever your name is,' Tagryn said. 'It's Gjalund, now hurry it up already!' Tagryn hushed him and snuck forward to see what caused the sound.

A bend in the tunnel. Tagryn positioned himself on the corner and looked around it. And he had to keep in a loud curse, because the next hallway was full of skeevers. He pulled his head back. 'Damn. Skeever nest up ahead. Be careful, I'm gonna use a trick.' Gjalund tilted his head as Tagryn started rubbing his hands together faster and faster.

Then, a small flame appeared between his hands. 'I learned this as a kid when I was at the College of Winterhold. I, ah… 'borrowed' a spell tome and learned its contents. I didn't use it in prison, though. Now you see how I'm being an honest man, now?'

Gjalund nodded. 'If you didn't use that in prison, you really turned into an honest man!' But Tagryn shook his head. 'I wasn't entirely honest, though. This spell is for destruction. Now stand back and cover your ears, this is going to take all the skill with Magicka I have!' Gjalund nodded, stood back and covered his ears.

Tagryn stood up straight and started charging the spell. The fire got more wild and started burning more intensely. Then he yelled: 'Hey, you little rodents! DINNER TIME!' Before the skeevers had time to react, Tagryn pointed his hand at the skeevers and opened it. A fiery explosion followed.

He could hear Gjalund cursing loudly. 'You're not a mage too, are you?!' he yelled. When the sound of the explosion dissipated, Tagryn helped Gjalund up and shook his head. 'I'm not a mage, no, but I know some spells. But I only use them when I really need them. Now let's get the hell out of here!' Gjalund nodded and took the lead.

It wasn't long before they found the exit. It was covered in snow and a cold, harsh wind was blowing in from the crack in the wall. Because Tagryn hadn't seen the outside world in ten years, all he saw now was light emitting from an opening, that was all. But Gjalund tapped him on the shoulder and pointed forward.

What Tagryn could vaguely see, was the contours of a Frost Troll. He cursed. 'What's that lazy bum doing in our way?!' he stepped forward, but Gjalund stopped him. 'Are you kidding me? You're going to take on a Frost Troll BY YOURSELF?!' he hissed. Tagryn sniggered. 'Who's the mass-murderer here, mate? You or me?' Gjalund shut his mouth.

Tagryn put a tighter grip on his dagger and started crouching. He snuck over to the Troll as silently as he could. But then his foot hit a piece of rock he didn't notice and it made a loud sound in the process. While Tagryn cursed, the Troll's instinct told it to whack its arm backwards. It hit Tagryn dead-on in the side, nearly snapping his arm in half.

Tagryn flew backwards, but he landed on his hands and jumped back up, dagger at the ready. 'I'm going to need a bigger weapon, Gjalund!' he said. Gjalund, however, had other ideas. Gjalund spread out his arms, sword in his right hand.

'Hey, Troll! You want this guy? You're going to have to go through me first!' The Troll started charging towards Gjalund and only seconds before it hit him, Gjalund tossed his sword into Tagryn's opened hand before being hit by the Troll's fist.

Tagryn realised that Gjalund just saved him AND let him recover from the Troll's blow. Before Tagryn wanted to charge, however, the Troll grabbed Gjalund by the throat. And Gjalund was still moving. 'You're not going to get the better of me, monster!' he yelled. He spat in the Troll's face and started kicking its legs.

The moment the Troll buckled, he loosened his grip on Gjalund and he managed to break free. 'Tagryn, NOW!' Gjalund yelled. Tagryn charged forward, sword at the ready, and swung the sword as hard as he could, decapitating the Troll.

Gjalund was on the ground with wide-open eyes. 'I've never seen anyone decapitate a Troll before… Their muscles are way too thick… What ARE you, Tagryn?' he stumbled. Tagryn looked back at him and grinned. 'I'm born for battle. That's all you need to know.' He helped Gjalund back on his feet and followed him outside. There, a snowy landscape greeted his eyes with glee.

Tagryn and Gjalund looked each other in the eyes. 'Are we where I think we are?' Tagryn asked, excitedly. Gjalund nodded with a faint glimmering in his eyes. 'We are, Tagryn. Welcome to Skyrim!'

**That's it for chapter 1! Hope you enjoyed this first chapter of this new fan fic, I really enjoyed writing it and I will definitely continue doing so! Please leave a review and, as always, have an awesome day! d-(^.^)-b**


	2. Chapter 2 - Whiterun

**Guardian of Tamriel**

Chapter 2 – Whiterun

Tagryn was sweating bullets. 'How am I going to justify myself to the damn JARL?!' he hissed. Gjalund stomped him on the shoulder. 'Will you shut up? He's coming!' Tagryn and Gjalund had traveled to Whiterun for supplies, but also for work. Work they sought with the Jarl himself, Jarl Balgruuf II.

And he came in. Unlike his father, Balgruuf the Greater, he was tall and muscular, more built like a warrior rather than a ruler. He sat down on his throne and looked down on Tagryn and Gjalund. 'So… What brings you two to me?' he asked.

Before Gjalund could speak, Tagryn said: 'My name is Tagryn, this is my friend Gjalund. We have come here to make an honest living, so we've come to you for work. Would you happen to have any for us?' Balgruuf grinned. 'Well, as it so happens… I do. There's an assassin in my holds, one from the Dark Brotherhood. I want you to hunt him down and kill him.'

Gjalund went pale. 'D-d-dark Brotherhood?' he stumbled. 'Why give us this task, my Jarl?' Balgruuf's look sharpened. 'Because you look more than able for the job. Look at Tagryn, for example. He has the shape of a warrior. I'm pretty sure he could handle an assassin. And I take it you're his companion?'

Gjalund's eyelid twitched. 'Companion… Yes…' he mumbled. Then, Balgruuf's gaze turned to Tagryn, who looked him right back in the eyes. Balgruuf noticed that Tagryn didn't look at the ground, but looked him right in the eyes. 'This man has power…' Balgruuf thought.

'Tagryn… Aren't you that infamous criminal that got locked up ten years ago?' Balgruuf asked. Tagryn's face suddenly twitched, but he answered truthfully: 'Yes, my Jarl, that would be me.' Balgruuf nodded slowly. 'You mentioned you wanted to make an honest living. Is this true?' Once again, Tagryn nodded. 'Yes, my Jarl. I've seen enough of the Thieves' Guild and the Dark Brotherhood. I walk my own path now.'

Balgruuf nodded slowly. 'Then go. As long as your criminal past stays in the past and you kill that assassin, then you'll be welcome here in Whiterun.' Tagryn smiled and nodded. 'Jarl Balgruuf, I will not forget this kindness. Thank you,' he said. Then, he and Gjalund stepped back, turned around and walked out of the Jarl's keep, Dragonsreach.

Once outside, Gjalund moaned. 'A Dark Brotherhood assassin? Really?!' Tagryn stomped him. 'Oh come on, you milk drinker. You've seen how we handled that Frost Troll. I know the Brotherhood well enough. Just follow my lead and don't do anything stupid, alright?' he said. Gjalund rubbed over his painful shoulder, but he nodded. 'Alright… Lead on, I suppose.'

Two light-colored eyes were looking at the duo. 'Reminds me of myself back in those good old days…' the man said. Then he started to walk towards them. 'I'm going to find out more about those two…'

Whilst walking down the Plains District, Gjalund bumped into a large man, well-muscled with half-long hair and light eyes. 'Oh, excuse me, sir,' Gjalund said. The man grinned and with an unnaturally well-sounding voice, he said: 'That's fine. Just be careful next time, okay?'

Gjalund looked at him with narrowed eyes. Then his eyes suddenly expressed joy. 'Wait… you're the Dragonborn, aren't you?' he asked. The man grinned even wider, looked up at the clouded sky and shouted: 'LOK VAH KOOR!' The clouds immediately disappeared and the sun started shining brightly. Then, the Dragonborn looked at Gjalund again. 'Yes, kinsman, I am the Dragonborn.'

Gjalund grinned. 'Can you teach us how to Shout?' he asked. Then he noticed the bow on the Dragonborn's back. 'Wait, are you on the hunt for someone?' Right as he said that, the Dragonborn grabbed his bow and without looking, drew an arrow and shot it to his right. A short yell of pain could be heard.

When Tagryn looked to what the Dragonborn shot at, he saw a corpse. And then he recognized the Dark Brotherhood armor. 'How did you…' But the Dragonborn smiled. 'I'm the Thane of Whiterun, I know every crime here. In fact, I'm the Thane of all of Skyrim. I have houses in every hold and I lead a good life. But I guess being the Dragonborn and all does have its perks, having saved the world and all…'

Tagryn grinned. 'Say, you look really strong… Would you mind doing an arm wrestling contest with me?' The Dragonborn raised an eyebrow. 'You sure you want to do that, lad? Or do you want me to save you the embarrassment?'

But Tagryn kept grinning. The Dragonborn narrowed his eyes. There was something not entirely right about this man. He could feel a lot of power stored inside him, but he didn't know how to use it. Yet.

The Dragonborn smiled. 'Alright, if you want to that badly, then let's do it. Come with me to the Bannered Mare. We'll do the contest there.' Before Tagryn followed the Dragonborn, he said to Gjalund: 'Go to the Jarl, tell him we killed the assassin and collect our bounty. And then ask him for more work. I got this one in the pocket, by the way. See you in a few!'

Gjalund nodded and headed towards Dragonsreach, while Tagryn followed the Dragonborn into the Bannered Mare. They sat down and got ready for the contest. 'Before we begin, how much are we betting on?' the Dragonborn asked. Tagryn frowned. 'I don't have anything to offer you right now, but I'll bet on the reward for the assassin. If I win, I get it. If you win, you get it, since you killed him.' The Dragonborn nodded and answered: 'Fair enough.'

Then, the Dragonborn started pushing first. 'Is boosting allowed?' he asked. Tagryn grinned. 'Why not?' he replied. The Dragonborn laughed out loud and shouted: 'MUL QAH DIIV!' His body suddenly had yellow-glowing dragon parts around it, and Tagryn could feel him pushing much harder than before. But he still didn't move a muscle.

The Dragonborn frowned. 'Are you even doing anything?' he asked. Tagryn just kept smiling and gestured him to keep pushing. The Dragonborn breathed in and then started pushing as hard as he could. However, Tagryn's arm still didn't move a muscle. The Dragonborn's eyes grew big. This was no ordinary human!

Tagryn grinned as he pushed down the Dragonborn's arm effortlessly, breaking the entire table in the process. The innkeeper yelled: 'Hey, those tables are expensive, you know?!' Tagryn shook his head. 'Sorry about that, I'll fix you a new one!' Then he looked at the Dragonborn.

'There's a new threat here in Skyrim. I don't know how many provinces it has ravaged already, but I'm going to stop them. Now you tell me – am I strong enough?' The Dragonborn shrugged. 'If you can beat me that easily, then you could have beaten Alduin yourself, too,' he replied. Tagryn nodded. 'Alright, then I know enough. Thank you, Dragonborn.' Both men patted each other on the back and Tagryn exited the Bannered Mare.

At the door, Gjalund was waiting with a big grin. 'Turns out that assassin caused more trouble than we thought. We got 2500 gold coins each!' Tagryn grinned when he heard the clinking sound of coins. 'Good… I've been waiting to get my hands on some coin. Any more work to be done?' Gjalund's face then turned to earnest. 'Yeah… A war is coming. And we're going to participate!'

**That was it for chapter 2. Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, please review and, as always, have an awesome day! d-(^.^)-b**


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